]]>Tue, 22 May 2018 01:56:09 GMThttp://www.911tacmed.com/ready-room-blog/evolving-golden-hour-care-to-mitigate-the-treatment-gapCheck out the Spring 2018 Combat & Casualty Care magazine put out by Defense Media. Matthew Kinney our CEO wrote a little article that was three pages with picture. Those pictures where of him doing a Rescue Hoist mission in the Korengal Valley, Afghanistan, Training Soldiers in TCCC and PFC, and last is one of his critical care patients that had a gunshot wound to the right side of the head who was ventilated in Iraq. Take a read through the magazine and make sure to read the""EVOLVING “GOLDEN HOUR” CARE TO MITIGATE THE TREATMENT GAP"

Had a first Friday night that I thought you’d appreciate. Had a male patient that was attacked with a sword to the left shoulder/chest. It was medial enough you couldn’t get a tourniquet on it. EMS had tried to control the bleeding with direct pressure but couldn’t get it stopped. The sword had created a large defect which made it difficult to obtain source control. The surgery resident tried to pack the wound with quik clot but it became obvious he wasn’t sure how to do it as he just laid the dressing in the wound bed. So, in the trauma bay I gave him 25mg of Ketamine for a little cooperation. Then I packed the wound with the quik clot followed by two rolls of Kerlex to completely fill in the defect and get enough pressure to control the hemorrhage. It was difficult because of the sheer size of the injury, not necessarily hidden cavities. At the same time, he got a gram of TXA as we took him to the OR. In the OR it was explored and it turned out he’d severed a branch off the subclavian. Thanks for the training and experience. Brian

Brian was in one of our Basic SWAT Medic Courses

We love to hear feedback from our students and how the training has help them. This is just one of the many we sharing.

]]>Fri, 03 Nov 2017 14:10:55 GMThttp://www.911tacmed.com/ready-room-blog/only-for-the-men-of-the-chosen-few-rip-71308-battle-of-wanatPlease watch and share the touching story of the 173rd Airborne during the Battle of Wanat. Matthew Kinney helped save the lives of these men and wants everyone to hear their story as they tell it. This film is a True Life Documentary, Narrated by the soldiers of Chosen Company 2nd Platoon 173 Airborne

]]>Wed, 18 Oct 2017 02:54:12 GMThttp://www.911tacmed.com/ready-room-blog/october-17th-20171512974Your gloves play a vital role in your patient assessment. Black gloves greatly reduce that ability to identify blood. This is especially true in low light / no light situations with or without supplemental lighting.

]]>Wed, 18 Oct 2017 02:50:09 GMThttp://www.911tacmed.com/ready-room-blog/october-17th-2017Come see us at #booth 421 at the #TexasStateEMSConference Nov 19-20. We will also be at the #preconference Nov 18-19 conducting our #TCCC course. Those who wish to take their Tactical Responder Exam will be eligible to after our #course for #free if you are not a paramedic. Those that are #paramedic certified will be eligible for the #TacticalParamedic Exam but we have to register and pay for their exam through the #IBSC

]]>Wed, 20 Sep 2017 06:01:57 GMThttp://www.911tacmed.com/ready-room-blog/september-20th-2017The Great American Shoot & Donations for the Special Forces Charitable Trust (100% of all donations go back to SFCT)September 30, 2017

Hello Friends,

The Special Forces Charitable Trust (SFCT) is hosting a sporting clay fundraiser, called The Great Americans Shoot, in California on September 30th, and I thought that you might be interested in hearing about it. We will also be posting pictures as the event continues!

Funds from the Shoot will help support the entire Special Operations Community and their Families. In the past three years, this Shoot has raised over $3.5 million, and we are predicting that this year’s Shoot will bring in over $1 million, making it the most significant shoot in American history.

In addition to the funds raised, this is also the largest clay shooting fundraiser in the world, and it has an incredibly unique platform that makes the event a great time for everyone involved. There are several teams competing in the Shoot; each team consists of five people and one “6th man” from the Special Operations Community, and each has committed to raising a minimum of $50,000 for the event. Every team will also select a Special Operations military charity that they wish to represent. The Special Forces Charitable Trust will be the recipient of the first 50% raised. The chosen charities of the top five fundraising teams will receive 30%, 25%, 20%, 15%, and 10% of the remaining 50% respectively.

The individual winner and the winning team are those who raise the most money for the Special Operations Community, but that doesn’t mean that there aren’t awesome prizes for those who shoot the most clays out of 50 either! The prizes this year can be found on the website at: http://greatamericansshoot.org/2017-prizes/ ; you should check out the Toyota Tacoma 4X4 last year’s winner took home as a Grand Prize!

This year, I am proud to say that I was invited to be a "6th man" again for the 4th year on behalf of the SFCT. I am so enthusiastic to take on this opportunity and to truly make the lives of Special Operations Forces Soldiers and their Families, who do so much for our nation and the world every day, better with this level of fundraising. Not to mention that TGAS in California is going to be a once-in-a-lifetime experience!

Becoming a part of The Great Americans Shoot is a really incredible opportunity, so I wanted to reach out to you. There are many ways in which you can become involved with this unique event, and each of them are very meaningful contributions. I encourage you to visit the event sites: http://greatamericansshoot.org/ and or contacting me at 270-871-2953 me if you have any questions. 100% of all donations go back to SFCT. Whether you’re interested in giving support to my team’s fundraising goals or joining my team in the Shoot, I didn’t think that you would want to pass up on this opportunity, which is why I wanted to invite you personally.

There is a lot more information that the Special Forces Charitable Trust office can give you about The Great Americans Shoot 2017. Please feel free to contact the Special Forces Charitable Trust office at: 860-767-1510 or david@specialforcescharitabletrust.org , with any questions regarding the Shoot. I would love to talk to you more about it, because this event is going to be pretty impressive! Thank you in advance for your support!

]]>Wed, 20 Sep 2017 04:35:56 GMThttp://www.911tacmed.com/ready-room-blog/september-19th-2017The Great American Shoot & Donations for the Special Forces Charitable Trust (100% of all donations go back to SFCT)September 30, 2017

The Special Forces Charitable Trust (SFCT) is hosting a sporting clay fundraiser, called The Great Americans Shoot, in California on September 30th, and I thought that you might be interested in hearing about it. We will also be posting pictures as the event continues!

Funds from the Shoot will help support the entire Special Operations Community and their Families. In the past three years, this Shoot has raised over $3.5 million, and we are predicting that this year’s Shoot will bring in over $1 million, making it the most significant shoot in American history.

In addition to the funds raised, this is also the largest clay shooting fundraiser in the world, and it has an incredibly unique platform that makes the event a great time for everyone involved. There are several teams competing in the Shoot; each team consists of five people and one “6th man” from the Special Operations Community, and each has committed to raising a minimum of $50,000 for the event. Every team will also select a Special Operations military charity that they wish to represent. The Special Forces Charitable Trust will be the recipient of the first 50% raised. The chosen charities of the top five fundraising teams will receive 30%, 25%, 20%, 15%, and 10% of the remaining 50% respectively.

The individual winner and the winning team are those who raise the most money for the Special Operations Community, but that doesn’t mean that there aren’t awesome prizes for those who shoot the most clays out of 50 either! The prizes this year can be found on the website at: http://greatamericansshoot.org/2017-prizes/ ; you should check out the Toyota Tacoma 4X4 last year’s winner took home as a Grand Prize!

This year, I am proud to say that I was invited to be a "6th man" again for the 4th year on behalf of the SFCT. I am so enthusiastic to take on this opportunity and to truly make the lives of Special Operations Forces Soldiers and their Families, who do so much for our nation and the world every day, better with this level of fundraising. Not to mention that TGAS in California is going to be a once-in-a-lifetime experience!

Becoming a part of The Great Americans Shoot is a really incredible opportunity, so I wanted to reach out to you. There are many ways in which you can become involved with this unique event, and each of them are very meaningful contributions. I encourage you to visit the event sites: http://greatamericansshoot.org/ and or contacting me at 270-871-2953 me if you have any questions. 100% of all donations go back to SFCT. Whether you’re interested in giving support to my team’s fundraising goals or joining my team in the Shoot, I didn’t think that you would want to pass up on this opportunity, which is why I wanted to invite you personally.

There is a lot more information that the Special Forces Charitable Trust office can give you about The Great Americans Shoot 2017. Please feel free to contact the Special Forces Charitable Trust office at: 860-767-1510 or david@specialforcescharitabletrust.org , with any questions regarding the Shoot. I would love to talk to you more about it, because this event is going to be pretty impressive! Thank you in advance for your support!

THE GREAT AMERICAN SHOOT

As we gear up for our 4th year at this event we will be putting out information on how you can help Matthew Kinney raise money for the event.Saturday, September 30, 20179:15 AM: Safety Brief9:30 AM: The Great Americans Shoot begins!!!!

Sunday, October 1, 20179:00 AM – Noon: Three-Gun Competition to include teams from the Special Operations and Law Enforces Communities at Oak Tree Gun Club.

The Great Americans Shoot benefits the Special Forces Charitable Trust and other nonprofit organizations supporting our Great Americans, the men and women who are serving, and who have served, in United States Military Special Operations.

Year four! The Great Americans Shoot is hosted by The Special Forces Charitable Trust (SFCT) and will take place on September 30, 2017 at the Oak Tree Gun Club, an incredible and beautiful setting in the hills just north of Los Angeles, in Newhall, CA. Check out the Oak Tree Gun Club. The Great Americans Shoot is the brainchild of shoot enthusiast and philanthropist, Mike Reynolds. Over the past three years, he has created a totally unique shoot format, which yields unprecedented results. Mike brought this unique format to the SFCT to support the entire Special Operations Community and their Families. In the past three years, the shoot has raised $3.5 million dollars that have benefited eight military charities.

VisionThe Special Forces Charitable Trust is the “go-to” organization for assistance and support when a Special Forces member is in need. MissionThe Special Forces Charitable Trust delivers critical, enduring support through comprehensive programs and services to the United States Army Special Forces Community - past and present - and their Families in order to improve their quality of life and enhance mission readiness.United States Army Special Forces (Green Berets)Known as the “Quiet Professionals”, the Special Forces Soldier maintains a proud history of not seeking recognition for their deeds, but recognizes that they are accountable to the American public. Special Forces will continue to represent the very best of the U.S. Army while serving as the lead for U.S. security interests by either setting conditions to prevent crisis or enabling decisive military operations. The Trust provides support in the following three areas:

Education and Motivation

Family and Command Support

Veterans, Advocacy, and Heritage

EDUCATION AND MOTIVATION *

Merit-based scholarships for children of active-duty Special Forces personnel in conjunction and association with the Special Forces Scholarship Fund.

Recognition Award(s) in conjunction with the Family Readiness Group at each group.

Tuition Assistance for active-duty Special Forces personnel.

Scholarships for dependent spouses.

FAMILY AND COMMAND SUPPORT *

In coordination with the Green Beret Foundation, the Special Forces Association, and others, during a time of tragedy, the Trust provides financial support to assist those left behind with items not funded by others or the Federal Government

Command functions for dependents of deployed active-duty Special Forces

Resiliency Programs

Assist with special family needs while spouse is deployed

VETERANS AND HERITAGE *

VA Issues

Funding assistance with advocacy, memorials and monuments

Transition Assistance

*partial listingSF CommunityWe serve a total military population of 15,500 plus soldiers along with total family members estimate at 10,750 families. Incorporated within the family are 14,261 dependent children. We work with the Special Forces Association, a fraternal organization, and their 9,500 member to support our Special Forces Veterans.Leadership – Board of DirectorsAn all-volunteer board of directors consisting of six (6) governing members and three (3) honorary members. Since inception of the organization in 2010, 100% of board members have annually financially contributed to the organization.StaffOur Executive Director has over 30 years’ experience in the nonprofit world including the Navy SEAL Foundation and the Coast Guard Foundation. He continues to provide the SFCT with the professional operational and organization leadership along with the plans and benchmarks to build a sustainable military nonprofit organization.The Special Forces Charitable Trust is recognized as a 501(c)(3) organization by the Internal Revenue Service. All donations made to the Special Forces Charitable Trust via The Great Americans Shoot are fully tax-deductible.

The pictures are from a smoke alarm call at 02:00 recently. Light smoke in a house no obvious fire found, no fire damage was found during the investigation. House was about 4,000 square feet, two story. Attic space on both ends of the house. One attic access had a one foot step down I sent one Firefighter to inspect it after I had to make sure I didn't miss anything. He stepped in before he realized there was step down and I didn't tell him about it. He stumbled and went through the drywall that was the ceiling below. Luckily the open garage door caught him. Tell your people about hazards no matter what. Light bulb moment.

A 23 year old, 230 pound, muscular, African-American active duty (AD) Soldier in the U.S. Army sustained a high-velocity gunshot wound to his left shoulder in Paktika, Afghanistan. The projectile penetrated anteriorly, immediately inferior to the distal 1/3d of the left clavicle and exited inferior to the left scapula. He was treated by a first responder AD 68W Combat Medic with two packs of QuickClot Combat Gauze (Z-Medica, Wallingford, Connecticut, USA). The gauze was packed into the wound under direct pressure and an 18g IV was placed in his contralateral upper extremity. An infusion of 0.9% normal saline (NS) was initiated at a slow rate. He arrived at the 9 man surgical element, we bypassed EMT and just brought him straight into the OR.

After preoxygenation with 100% oxygen, a Sellick’s maneuver was applied to the patient’s cricoid cartilage and induction of general anesthesia was achieved with Etomidate (Amidate, Pfizer, Inc., New York, USA) followed immediately with succinylcholine (Anectine, Quelicin, suxamethonium, Pfizer Inc., New York, USA). Direct larnygoscopy was performed, a Grade I view was obtained, and an 8.0mm endotracheal (ET) tube was inserted between the true vocal cords to a depth of 22cm at the teeth. The ET cuff was inflated with 5mL of air and breath sounds were equal bilaterally with a positive end tidal CO2 waveform on the monitor (Propaq, ZOLL Medical, Chelmsford, Massachusetts, USA).

After verification of ET tube placement, a massive amount of blood was noted on the floor. Upon inspection, the patient had a rapid, active, arterial flow of pulsatile blood emanating from his wound. An entire roll of gauze (Kerlix, Covidien,-Medtronic, Minnesota, USA) was placed into the wound and direct pressure was applied. The patient was placed on the ventilator.

The patient was found to have a partially severed left subclavian artery.

Succinylcholine is a widely used medication as part of the RSI technique in combat casualties. Application of Combat Gauze to penetrating injuries has become routine for U.S. military forces. The fasciculations caused by succinylcholine can be of sufficient intensity to dislodge the Combat Gauze and result in a rapid loss of hemostasis. Alternatively, an actively moving patient can dislodge the clot formed by combat gauze.

I recommend a reinforcing combat gauze prior to patient movement, using a defasciculating dose of paralytic prior to using succinylcholine, or avoiding succinylcholine altogether if the patient has had a hemostatic dressing applied. The patient also received 4u PRBCs and 4 FFP, we didn't have TXA during surgery.

My ATRIC class ended at 17:00 on Oct 01. At 02:30 on Oct 02 I was on the ambulance when a we received a call for a shooting at an apartment complex. Initially advised to stage for law enforcement, within minutes we were requested to "make scene." Once onscene, I never thought twice about the perimeter officers and door guys with guns drawn. I wasn't concerned that the first time I heard the shooter had not been located was while I was caring for the victim. I was not worried, because of the training I've received by the ALERRT staff during the course of Active Shooter II and ATRIC. I trusted that my officers would watch over us as we provided indirect threat care. SWAT Officers Ellingston & Beller had placed an Israeli bandage over the abdominal entrance wound (intestine protruding), and no exit wound found, so we quickly moved him onto a backboard and into the ambulance. The victim ultimately succumbed to his injuries At a local hospital, but because of the immediate care he received (made possible by the direct training provided ALERRT, and teamwork practiced in live scenarios), he was able to name his shooter(s).

Katie ContrerasLieutenant/Paramedic

Case Study 1 presented by Katie M ContrerasLieutenant/ParamedicFeel free to comment and share these as they are posted each week. Pictures of the SWAG will be posted after they have received it. We have already been told that the NAR 4 Aid Bag will be put to work saving lives immediately.

"Experience is not the best teacher; evaluated experience is." Howard G. HendricksTo that end, WE NEED YOUR HELP!

Send us your patient case studies, your down-range stories, your 911 call, your memorable training, learning, "oh wow"-light bulb moments!Send us an email @ 911tacmed@gmail.com or FB message or carrier pigeon with a video of you telling about it or a small narrative explaining what happened (videos, pics, links, etc....).

We will sort through them and pick some of the best to showcase on the FB page and website.

BUT WAIT..... THERE'S MORE!

To thank you for your time and wisdom we will send you (no catch, totally free of charge, you don't even pay shipping) some pretty decent swag (see pics!).You can't train too hard for a job that can kill you (and you never know, the life you save, may be your own!).

August 7, 2017 will be the first Post going up from your experiences you all share. The 1st GIVE AWAY is a NAR 4 AID BAG! We will post pictures of the each person with their free SWAG!

When you're passionate about your craft, and when your craft is saving lives, you want to bring that work to as many people as possible. To that end, we have decided to branch out geographically and within the next year are planning to open a fourth training facility in the Colorado Springs to Denver corridor. As always, our training operations can always be brought to your location; however, since not everyone has a facility to utilize all of our offerings, we have our own dedicated to providing our full training array.This expansion will allow us to bring these life saving trainings to more people without adding additional travel expenses for our clients.We are huge fans of the Colorado / Wyoming area and are beyond excited to be planning and implementing this expansion. We're hopeful all of our clients (past, present and future) along with friends and family (framily) will share our enthusiasm!

]]>Mon, 17 Jul 2017 00:48:08 GMThttp://www.911tacmed.com/ready-room-blog/gift-cardsGift cards are now available for that someone in your live who needs or loves Medical and Tactical Gear and Training. Cards are available from $10 - $200. They never expire and there are no service charges with our cards.

]]>Wed, 28 Jun 2017 22:32:36 GMThttp://www.911tacmed.com/ready-room-blog/tactical-combat-casualty-care-tccc-handbook-v5Version 5 of the TCCC Handbook. For those who don't know say hello to MARCH/PAWS and Prolonged Field Care. Let everyone know where to get the handbook.

Best job I ever had! Dynamic hoist in the Korengal Valley for a MEDEVAC. Remember Everything above in V5 of the TCCC Handbook has come from lessons learned in combat. Some good and some bad things were done by all in order for us to make the turn around the corner with these improvements. Keep leaning forward in the foxhole and striving for perfection. However, remember when you train, push hard and train till failure. Never stop when you have gotten it right because you are not pushing hard enough and nothing goes as planned when it hits the fan. Remember to learn from the mistakes, regroup and do it again.

]]>Sun, 25 Jun 2017 16:32:41 GMThttp://www.911tacmed.com/ready-room-blog/william-h-mcraven-chancellor-of-the-university-of-texas-system-and-former-commander-of-the-us-special-operations-commandWilliam H. McRaven, Chancellor of The University of Texas System and former commander of the U.S. Special Operations Command as the TexMed 2017 keynote speaker. McRaven’s address titled “Physicians in the Age of Terrorism – Stories of the Battlefield” reflects on policies resulting from terrorist events and the ramifications of a weak national security system. What is and why TCCC was and is. The history from the conception of TCCC to now.

]]>Sat, 10 Jun 2017 20:18:22 GMThttp://www.911tacmed.com/ready-room-blog/prolonged-field-care-pfcThe Prolonged Field Care(PFC) Working Group has been working hand in hand with the US Army Institute Of Surgical Research(USAISR) and the Joint Trauma System (JTS) writing and editing new guidelines for medics and providers who may have to take care of casualties for longer than normal planning guidelines in resource constrained environments. This could be a few hours or many days.

Before moving in to Prolonged Field Care you should first master the basics and Tactical Combat Casualty Care (TCCC) Below are the tools and downloads from prolongedfieldcare.org for those of you who have the need to or are working in that environment.

Good knowledge to have and test your junior medics on. Every medic should know where the landmarks for Anterior Axillary Line needle thoracostomy and Mid Axillary Line Tubal/Finger Thoracostomy. You should be able to walk up to junior medics and "pop quiz" them by having them draw the safety triangle on their buddy with a marker and choose their site. (Some even use their povidone-iodine swabs to mark landmarks before the procedure.)People accidentally tube livers, diaphragms and all. Know your landmarks!!!

If you're placing a needle, finger or tube through the chest wall, it should be lateral and in the 4th/5th ICS.

]]>Wed, 31 May 2017 03:20:31 GMThttp://www.911tacmed.com/ready-room-blog/level-ii-pistol-and-bleeding-controlWe will be giving a Level II Pistol and Bleeding Control Course to Selected LE this weekend. Dont forget to check our schedule class dates for up coming fun. Our next Pistol with TCCC-AC on day two is in late August. We look forward to seeing you all there.

A generous donor has offered to match all gifts made to the MSG Gary Gordon MOH Memorial Fund up to $5,000.00! This offer will last until May 31st, in honor of Memorial Day on May 29th.

This means that any donation YOU make will be matched in full by this generous donor!

Please help us reach this $5,000.00 goal in order to raise $10,000.00 for the MSG Gordon Memorial!

Make a DonationThe MemorialWe are keeping the legacy of MSG Gary Gordon and his team alive by building a statue of Gary atop a pedestal. The Memorial will include plaques, which will list the names and units of all the men who made the ultimate sacrifice during Operation Gothic Serpent in Somalia. The Memorial will reside in Veteran's Park in Gary's hometown of Lincoln, Maine.

The Special Forces Charitable Trust (SFCT), a certified nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization, is accepting donations for the Gary Gordon MOH Memorial Fund. All net proceeds from the race will go to the Gary Gordon Medal of Honor Memorial Fund, which goes toward erecting a statue Memorial with plaques for MOH recipient MSG Gary Gordon and his team.

Make a DonationIf you can not make it to the event in person or virtually, but you would still like to make a donation, click the link below. Please include that the donation is for the MSG Gary Gordon Memorial Fund when making your donation. Thank you.SFCT Website

This is one of the charities we have backed and participate in yearly. We will be competing again in September at the Great American Shoot to help raise money for these great men and their families. All the money donated between now and May 31 will go to the MSG Gordon MOH Memorial Fund.

We will randomly pick one of our Facebook / Instagram followers. Upon reaching 5,000 on Facebook 2,000 Instagram 911 Tactical Medicine will hold a live drawing to announce the new owner of the brand new BDS V-OPS Plate Carrier Chest Rig.

You know the deal! Please like and share this giveaway and our page!!!

Be ready because after this giveaway we will be giving out free seats for our Weaponized TCCC Course.